**The Arts Society Wensleydale** Registered Charity number 1203231 ## **Report of the Chairman of Trustees for the year ending 31 December 2025** ## **Introduction** The Arts Society Wensleydale was established in 2000. In May 2023, the registration of the Society as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation was approved by the Charities Commission. The objects of the Charity are: - 1) the promotion and advancement of the education of the public in the cultivation, appreciation and study of the decorative and fine arts, - 2) the conservation and preservation of the artistic heritage of the United Kingdom and other countries for the benefit of the public, and - 3) the advancement of the arts, culture and heritage, in particular, but without limitation, the decorative and fine arts. ## **Review of Activities** Lecture Programme The Charity has undertaken a programme of nine lectures in 2025. These are open to the public and have covered a wide range of topics consistent with the objectives detailed above. The topics covered have ranged from the jewellery of Jane Austin to The Princes in the Tower. We’ve welcomed all our lecturers including Phillipa Langley and Lars Thorp. After each lecture, the Management Committee assesses its quality and reviews any issues that arise. Our current venue at Tennants in Leyburn has the benefit of a large lecture room with good seating and disabled access, a café, a restaurant and extensive accessible parking. Attendance at lectures averaged 127 attendees (83 members and 44 guests). This is a considerable increase on the 2024 average attendance of 80 (70 members and 10 guests). ## Visits The Charity has continued its programme of visits. Two visits were undertaken in 2025. The first was to Raby Castle and involved a private guided tour showing the alterations and extension which had been completed over the centuries. The second visit was to Yorkshire Sculpture Park where some of the artist’s history and their artistic development was explained to us by the lead curator. Both visits were rated highly by the participants. Church Recording During this lecture year, the Charity has completed the process of assembling, editing and publishing the information for an ambitious project to record all the elements of Kirklington Parish Church near Bedale The beautifully bound book was presented to the congregation and is now available to view in the church. ## Young Arts The Charity has a policy of working with local organisations which focus on providing support to young people and has provided a grant of £250 to Crakehall Guides to enable the guides to work towards gaining their Arts Badges. ## Finance The Charity achieved a surplus of £5,149 in the year to 31 December 2025. Total cash reserves at year end amounted to £20,724. The accounts have been prepared on a Receipts and Payments basis in line with current guidance by the Charities Commission. The primary sources of funding for the Charity in 2025 were membership subscriptions (£8190), Gift Aid (£2292), donations from members of the public attending lectures (£3752) and the net proceeds of monthly raffles (£938). The Charity does not undertake any other fundraising activities. Our reserves of £20,724 are broadly in line with Charity Commission Guidance on maintaining reserve levels designed to ensure that the Charity is financially robust and can survive unforeseen events such as having to change venue, an unexpected decline in membership, increased base costs or a national crisis such as the pandemic. We also hope to be able to offer grant funding to promote the Arts in our area. ## Governance and Structure The Charity is governed by the Trustees who are elected by members. The Trustees are supported by a Management Committee which undertakes the day to day running of Charity. The current members of the Committee are: |Suzy Walker|Trustee and Chairman| |---|---| |Alan Cape|Treasurer| |Lilian Haworth|Trustee and Membership Secretary| |Jennifer Howard-Vyse|Study Day and Visits Secretary| |Alyson Jones|Programme Secretary| |Susan Rumsey|Trustee and Minutes Secretary| |Caroline Bryant|Young Arts Coordinator| |Rosalind Higson|Committee Member| In accordance with our Society constitution, Susan Rumsey will retire as a Trustee at this AGM but has kindly offered to stand for reappointment. ## **Membership and Guests** On 31 December 2025, the Charity had 122 members, an increase of around 10% over the previous year but still significantly lower than the 152 achieved immediately prior to the pandemic. However, it is encouraging to see this growth in membership and increased number of guests attending our lectures. ## **Outlook** The Charity has now achieved a robust financial position following some very challenging years and is in a position to consider grants for suitable activities. However, as reported last year, the Charity faces two key challenges. Firstly, maintaining and growing membership is essential for the Charity to prosper. If membership falls, our venue may become unaffordable necessitating relocation to a less attractive facility. This in turn could further adversely affect membership. Secondly, several of the members of the Management Committee have now served the Charity for at least 5 years. A key priority remains to find members who are willing to take on roles so that the Charity can continue to thrive and prosper. In addition to the Management Committee, the Charity has a core group of members who make a major contribution to the success of the organisation including running the monthly raffle and transporting lecturers to and from railway stations. The Trustees would like to take this opportunity to thank both them and the members of the Management Committee, on behalf of the members, for their continued hard work and support. ## **Conclusion** This has been a very successful year for the Charity. Membership has increased and lectures have been well supported by members and guests. Please continue to support The Arts Society Wensleydale, encourage others to join and do consider volunteering to join the Management Committee. The future of the Charity is in your hands. Suzy Walker Chairman February 2026 ## **The Arts Society Wensleydale** ## Registered Charity 1203231 ## **Accounts for the year ending 31 December 2025** The Charity achieved a surplus of £5149 in the year to 31 December 2025. This is mainly due to an increase in guest donations and Gift Aid on qualifying subscriptions and donations. The Society Reserves at the yearend were £20,724. The accounts have been prepared on a Receipts and Payments basis in line with current guidelines by the Charities Commission and have been subject to review by an independent examiner. |**Receipts and Payments**
**Year Ending 31 December 2025**
**Income**
Membership
Guest Donatons
Rafe
Study Trips
Gif Aid
Bank Interest
Grants
**Total Receipts**
**Expenditure**
Lecturer Fees
Lecturer Expenses
Room Hire
Rafe
Lunches
Visits
Card Fees
The Arts Society
Travel, Subsistence and Comms Expenses
Grants
**Total Expenditure**
**Net Surpus/(Defcit)**|**£**
8,190.0
3,752.0
1,092.0
1,635.0
2,291.5
209.0
250.0| |---|---| ||**17,419.5**| ||3,094.0
510.8
4,500.0
154.1
42.0
1,608.0
28.1
1,712.4
370.3
250.0| ||**12,269.9**| ||**5,149.5**| |**Balance Sheet**
**As at Year Ending 31 December 2025**
**December**
**2025**
**Members funds**
Brought forward from previous year
15,574.46
Net Surplus
5,149.57
**Accumulated funds at year end**
**20,724.03**
**Current Assets**
Business Premium Account
2,741.83
Current Account
11,428.56
Skipton Building Society
6,513.64
Cash in hand
40.00
**Total Assets**
**20,724.03**||| |---|---|---| |||| |||| |||| |||| Alan Cape Treasurer 11 February 2026